Mrs. Langton did not forget Mark; and before many days had gone by
since his call, he received an invitation to dine at Kensington Park
Gardens on a certain Saturday, to which he counted the days like a
schoolboy. The hour came at last, and he found himself in the pretty
drawing-room once more. There were people there already; a stout judge
and his pretty daughter, a meek but eminent conveyancer with a
gorgeous wife, and a distinguished professor with a bland subtle
smile, a gentle voice and a dangerous eye. Other guests came in
afterwards, but Mark hardly saw them. He talked a little to Mrs.
Langton, and Mrs. Langton talked considerably to him during the first
few minutes after his entrance, but his thoughts kept wandering, like
his eyes, to Mabel as she moved from group to group in her character
of supplementary hostess, for Mrs. Langton's health did not allow her
to exert herself on these occasions.

Mabel was looking very lovely that evening, in some soft light dress
of pale rose, with a trail of pure white buds and flowers at her
shoulder. Mark watched her as she went about, now listening with
pretty submission to the gorgeous woman in the ruby velvet and the
diamond star, who was laying down some 'little new law' of her own,
now demurely acknowledging the old judge's semi-paternal compliments,
audaciously rallying the learned professor, or laughing brightly at
something a spoony-looking, fair-haired youth was saying to her.

Somehow she seemed to Mark to be further removed than ever from him;
he was nothing to her amongst all these people; she had not even
noticed him yet. He began to be jealous of the judge, and the
professor too, and absolutely to hate the spoony youth.

But she came to him at last. Perhaps she had seen him from the first,
and felt his dark eyes following her with that pathetic look they had
whenever things were not going perfectly well with him. She came now,
and was pleased to be gracious to him for a few minutes, till dinner
was announced.

Mark heard it with a pang. Now they would be separated, of course; he
would be given to the ruby woman, or that tall, keen-faced girl with
the _pince-nez_; he would be lucky if he got two minutes' conversation
with Mabel in the drawing-room later on. But he waited for
instructions resignedly.

'Didn't papa tell you?' she said; 'you are to take me in--if you
will?' If he would! He felt a thrill as her light fingers rested on
his arm; he could scarc